Bush, McCain good buddies on the trail

Past differences between the president and the popular Arizona senator appear to have been ironed out for a Florida road trip

August 11, 2004|By Jeff Zeleny, Tribune national correspondent.

NICEVILLE, Fla. — The relationship between President Bush and Sen. John McCain has not always lived up to the cordial name of this Florida Panhandle town.

But when the one-time Republican rivals arrived here Tuesday aboard the president's red-and-blue campaign bus, their behavior closely matched the city's slogan: "Niceville--A nice place to be!" They exchanged compliments, whispered to each other as they hugged on stage and delivered testimonials, never explaining how a tepid rapport had grown into a warm bond.

Only days after McCain came to the aid of Sen. John Kerry yet again amid criticisms about the Democrat's service in the Vietnam War, the Arizona Republican joined Bush to resolve any questions about his loyalties. But when the president taunted his Democratic challenger for Kerry's views on Iraq, McCain simply crossed his arms and smiled as he shared a podium with Bush for only the second time in more than four years.

"John is an amazing guy. He's an amazing person. He's a great public servant," Bush declared, showering enough praise on his rival from the 2000 race to spark a standing ovation. "I'm proud to be traveling with him. He's a lot of fun to be with. Plus, it helps to have him stand by my side."

Few leading Republicans have aggravated the Bush administration more in the past three years than McCain. But through his wide appeal to independent voters and his indisputable military credentials, few Republicans can be more of a symbolic help than McCain.

So even though the White House rejected McCain's call late last week to denounce a television commercial critical of Kerry's service in Vietnam, he started a two-day tour with Bush on Tuesday. After spending the night at the president's Texas ranch, he was to continue with Bush to New Mexico and Arizona on Wednesday.

`He has not wavered'

"My friends, this president understands the challenge," McCain said, introducing Bush at a rally that was filmed for a fall campaign ad. "He has not wavered, he has not flinched from the hard choices. He was determined and remains determined to make this world a better, safer, freer place. He has more than earned our support, he has earned our admiration and our love."

But even though the campaign passed through Niceville, where the city motto promises "an abiding peacefulness that we all need to retreat to from time to time," the bout of graciousness did not extend to the president's opponent. Instead, Bush seized on a comment Kerry made this week in which he defended his 2002 vote in favor of the war resolution.

"Now, almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and almost 220 days after switching positions to declare himself the anti-war candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance," Bush told an audience in nearby Pensacola, in a region with military installations. "He now agrees it was the right decision go to into Iraq. After months of questioning my motives and even my credibility, Sen. Kerry now agrees with me."

After giving a partisan review of Kerry's positions, Bush smiled and with an edge of sarcasm declared: "I want to thank Sen. Kerry for clearing that up." When the applause subsided, he added: "Although there are still 84 days left in the campaign."

The Kerry campaign responded that Bush should offer his own clear path out of the Iraq conflict rather than dispute his challenger's position. Kerry supported the congressional resolution to authorize military action against Iraq and later opposed additional funding for the war, saying the president should have sought cooperation from the international community.

`Political war games'

"The American people are tired of political war games and they are looking for leadership," said retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former Democratic presidential candidate who supports Kerry. "The president ought to stop trying to distort John Kerry's position and start giving the answers to the American people."

Even though McCain was brought on board Tuesday to introduce Bush and serve as a surrogate for his campaign, he declined to step into the fray. During a television interview here, he said: "I don't pay that much attention to the back and forth between the two."

When McCain challenged Bush for the Republican presidential nomination four years ago, a trademark of his campaign was the "Straight Talk Express" bus tour during which he would talk with reporters for hours on end. On Tuesday, however, his questioners were largely kept at bay.

When asked whether he personally had asked Bush to denounce the TV ad that criticizes Kerry's decorated Vietnam record, McCain said: "I do not describe my discussions with the president of the United States." In a television interview that was granted by the Bush campaign, McCain said he felt no ill will toward Bush from the unusually ferocious campaign in 2000.

"It's not fair to my constituents or anyone else for me to hold a grudge for something that happened four years ago," McCain said. "It's just over, and I want him to be re-elected."